SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched a Dragon spacecraft to low-Earth orbit to deliver cargo to and from the International Space Station for NASA from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center at 12:31 p.m. on 14 August 2017.

Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage landed at SpaceX’s Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station approximately eight minutes after launch.

Dragon separated from Falcon 9’s second stage about 10 minutes after liftoff and arrived at the space station on 16 August 2017 with over 6,400 pounds of supplies and payloads, including critical materials to directly support dozens of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 52 and 53. Dragon will return to Earth with more than 3,000 pounds of cargo after an approximately one-month stay at the orbiting laboratory.

The Falcon 9 rocket clears the clouds. The hot summer Florida day instilled a fair amount of heat distortion to the images.

A series of images showing the events prior to main engine cutoff of the first stage. In the bottom right hand image the vehicle is coasting for a few seconds prior to stage separation and ignition of the second stage.

The first stage separates and maneuvers for landing while the second stage continues on pushing Dragon to orbit.

The first stage maneuvers for the boostback burn to take it back to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

After the boostback burn comes the short entry burn.

After the entry burn the first stage falls toward the landing zone.

Quite close to the ground comes the landing burn to slow the stage to a gentle touchdown at LZ-1.

Note the heat distortion coming off the land causing the image to blur.

The landing legs begin to deploy moments before landing.

The last view of the first stage before its successful landing. The large mound of dirt obscured the rest of the landing event.